B.C. sledge hockey player makes Canada’s Paralympic team for second time

Hockey Canada and the Canadian Paralympic Committee has announced its Paralympic sledge hockey roster for the 2018 Paralympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, and B.C. athlete James Gemmell has made the team.

Gemmell, 37, was also on the Canadian Paralympic sledge hockey team in 2014, and holds a bronze medal from the Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia. He is the only national sledge hockey team member from British Columbia, and calls Quesnel home.

The team roster was finalized Sunday (Feb. 11) in Toronto.

Gemmell, a defenseman, has been playing on the national sledge hockey team since September 2017, when he was chosen for the 2017/18 team after a selection camp in Calgary.

Seventeen players were then selected from the national team to represent Canada in South Korea.

“Everyone wants one of those spots. But the competition among ourselves makes the team better in the long run,” Gemmell told Black Press in September.

At the press conference in Toronto, head coach Ken Babey said: “It was not an easy decision; our players have pushed each other all year to put us in the best possible position to win a gold medal. We’re excited to get to PyeongChang, put on the Team Canada jersey, and represent our country with pride.” The Team Canada roster includes two goaltenders, six defencemen and nine forwards. Gemmell is the only national sledge hockey team member from British Columbia.